Musical instrument.



PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

E. J. ELSAS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

AYPLIOATIOH FILED IAB. 10, 1906.

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No. 870,025. PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907. E. J. ELSAS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB..10, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 No. 870,025. PATBNTED NOV. 5, 1907. B. J. ELSA-S.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED 11.10, 1000.

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EDWARD J. ELSAS, OF BLUE MOUND, MISSOURI MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed March 10, 1906. Serial No. 305.369

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. ELSAS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Blue Mound, in the county of Livingston and State ofMissouri, have invented a new and useful Musical Instrument, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical instruments, and has for its object-to embody the same in the nature of a hell or gong capable of beingmanipulated by means of a supporting handle and clapper, or by strikingthe same with one or more separate hammers, as in playing upon aXylophone.

While the device is capable of manipulation as a musical instrument, italso has the functions of a bell for manipulation by hand or to be hungupon harness, the construction of the device being such that the soundgiven forth is melodious and not shrill and harsh as in an ordinary bellof one tone.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention ('on s: inthe combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter nrorefully described, shown in. the accompanying drawings and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size and minor details may be made, within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of a bell of the presentinvention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bell arrangedas a hand bell. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the invention embodied as adisk. Fig. i is a cross sectional view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is alongitudinal sectional view of the bell provided with an improvedclapper. Fig. 6 is a detail underneath view showing the manner ofmounting the clapper. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view illustrating amodification. Fig. Sis a fragmentary sectional view showing anothermodification. Fig. 9 is an inverted plan view of a modified arrangementof the disk form of the invention. Fig. 10 is a sectional view on theline 10-10 of Fig 9. Fig. ll is an inverted plan view of anotherembodiment of the invention. Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view on theline 12*]2 of Fig. 1]..

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawing.

As embodied in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, the present invention is inthe nature of a flat disk having a series of radial slits l intersectingthe outer periphery of the disk and terminating short of the middlethereof, thereby defining a series of wings 2 radiating from a circularcentrally disposed body 3. By this arrangement, each part 2 is avibrating element separate from the other vibrating elements, the seriesof vibrating elements being of different widths and proportioned to giveout sounds of different pitches, that is to say, each sounding elementhas a pitch differing from those of the other elements. While any numberof sounding elements may be employed, I have shown eight in Fig. 3,pitched at diatonic intervals so as to produce an octave. A greater orless number of sounding elements may be employed according to thedesired capacity of the device. It will of course be understood that noattempt has been made to show the exact proportions of the tongues inFig. 3, as such proportions will of course vary under differentcircumstances.

In order that each sounding element may vibrate independently of theother elements, the disk is provided in its under side with an annulargroove or channel 4 disposed at the inner ends of the sounding elements,thereby to reduce the thickness of the metal at the joint between eachsounding element and the body 3 for the purpose of preventing, as far aspossible, the transfer of vibrations from the sounding elements to thesupporting body 3.

It is proposed to support the device from the center of the body 3,wherefore said body is provided with a central opening 5 in which isfitted an eyelet or bushing 6 of non-resonant material, such as lead orother material which may be cast or otherwise fitted in the opening 5.The device may be hung from an overhead support suitably connected tothe bushing 5, or it may be supported upon a standard, such forinstance. as shown at 7 in Fig. 4 of the drawing, said standard havingits upper end bearing against an annular flange 8 at the lower end ofthe bushing, there being a suitable removable headed fastening 9 appliedto the upper end of the standard and bearing against the upper flangedend of the bushing, whereby the device is supported without contact ofthe support with the material of the body.

In the embodiment of the invention just described, it is played upon orstruck by means of a separate hammer or hammers manipulated by hand, asin playing a Xylophone. The advantage of the present arrangement'over anordinary Xylophone resides in the fact that the entire device may becast in one piece and its several sounding elements are concentricallyarranged around the body thereby affording a very compact device.

I also contemplate embodying the invention in the nature of a bell, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, wherein 3 designates the top orcrown and corre sponds to the body 3, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Thebarrel of the bell is provided with a series of substantially radialslits 1 intersecting the lower edge of the bell and also the part 3",thereby defining an annular series of separate sounding elements 2 Atthe point where the sounding elements 2 connect with the part 3, thebell is reduced by an annular groove 4 formed in the under side thereofso as to prevent as far as possible, the transfer of vibrations from thesounding elements to the body 3.

To adapt the invention as a hand bell, as shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings, an eyebolt is passed through the opening 5 and through aWooden handle 11, a suitable nut 12 being fitted to the outer threadedend of the eye-bolt so as to hold the handle against the top of thebell. .By preference, the opening 5 is surrounded by an upstanding bossor shouulder 13, and a non-resonant washer 14, such as leather, felt andthe like is interposed between the inner end of the handle and the boss13, whereby the handle does not interfere with the resonant qualities ofthe bell. Any appropriate clapper 15 is loosely hung from the eye of thebolt within the bell, and the latter may be manipulated in the manner ofan ordinary hand bell. The advantage of the present bell resides in thefact that the sounds given forth are melodious and not harsh andclanging, as in an ordinary bell.

It is also proposed to hang the bell from an overhead support, such forinstance, as shown in Fig. 1, wherein 16 designates a portion of anoverhead beam from which the bell is hung by means of an eyebolt 17piercing the beam and having a nut 18 fitted to its upper end. This boltis provided with a boss 13 and has a nonresonant washer 14 interposedbetween the boss and the beam. Each end of the beam is supported upon atubular standard 19 having a removable conical head 20 upon its upperend, said head having a reduced pin 21 removably fitted within thestandard, while the upper extremity of the head is threaded, as at 22. Ametallic bracket 23 is provided with a conical opening receiving theconical head 20 and is provided in one side with a socket 25 receivingthe adjacent end of the beam, there being a nut 26 fitted to thethreaded end of the head so as to draw the bracket down tightly, uponthe beam. By this arrangement, the bell, the beam, the bracket and thehead, are successively connected and may be removed asa whole from thesupporting standards.

Another embodiment of the invention has been shown in Figs. 5 and 6 ofthe drawing, wherein the general features of the bell are the same asdescribed for Figs. 1 and 2, and the bell is equipped with a preferredform of clapper to enable the swinging of the same in any direction forstriking the respective tongues or grooves of the bell and to insure thereturning of the clapper to the middle of the bell without striking theopposite side thereof after it has struck any one of the sections. Inthis embodiment, the bolt 1Q is provided at its inner end withanenlarged conicalhead 27. Between the head and the top of the bell thereis an octagonal head 28 which is supported upon the head of the bolt,there being a nonresonant washer 29 interposed between the members 27and 28. At the center of the member 28 there is an upstanding annularboss 30 to bear against the under side of the top of the bell againstwhich it is drawn by means of the nut 12 so as to rigidly hold the bolt10 and the octagonal head 28 within the bell. At each of the eightcorners of the octagonaLhead, there is a radial projection 31. Beneaththe member 28 there is an octagonal rocker plate 32 provided at each-ofits eight corners with a notch 33, each edge portion 34 of the platebetween adjacent notches being bowed upwardly between adjacentprojections 31 so as to have a rocking bearing upon the lower edgeportion of the member 28. From the middle of the plate 32 there dependsa tube 35 which is rigidly carried by the plate and receives the conicalhead 27'. Upon the lower end of this tube there is a clapper 36,preferably of wood, and within the lower portion of the tube is aplurality of weights 37 retained therein by means of a removablethreaded plug 38 fitted into the open lower end of the tube. Extendingbetween the clapper and stationary head 28 there is a pair of helicalsprings 39, each of which has its upper end connected to a pair of theprojections 31, preferably by being passed through perforations 40therein.

With a bell constructed as thus described, the clapper may bemanipulated by swinging the bell upon its handle, whereby the element 32will rock upon one of the edges 41 of the head 28 instead of from thebolt 10 as a center in order that the clapper may normally lie in linewith the bolt and capable of striking the bell at the proper distancefrom the lower edge thereof. It will here be explained that the conicalhead 27 of the bolt 10" is struck from the respective edges 41 ascenters in order that the upper end of the tube 35 may swing down acrossthe same without any restriction whatsoever on the part of the head, asindicated by the dotted position of the clapper.

Instead of employing the boss 30 upon the plate 28 to space the latterfrom the top of the bell, the same thing may be accomplished, as in Fig.7, by means of a boss 42 upon the bell with the plate 28 bearing againstthe boss. In this arrangement, the top of the bell may be relativelythin and braced by means of integral radial webs 43.

In lieu of the groove 4 of the disk shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and shown at4* in Figs. 2 and 5, an annular stiffening rib 44 may be employed, asshown in Fig. 8, as such rib stiffens the top of the bell sufficientlyto prevent the vibrations of the tongues passing across the head of thebell. The same result is accomplished by the integral radial ribs 43shown in Fig. 7 of the drawing, and the employment of such ribs permitsof a considerable reduction in the thickness of the top of the bell.

In Figs. 9 and 10, there has been shown a modification of thearrangement shown in Fig. 3, and in lieu of the groove 4 of Figs. 3 and4, there is provided an annular rib 45 and radial ribs 46 for thepurpose of stiffening the central body portion of the disk so as toprevent vibrations of any of the tongues being carried into any of theother tongues.

Still another embodiment of the disk form of the invention has beenshown in Figs. 11 and 12, wherein the disk is provided with a centralconcentric stiffening rib 47, an eccentric annular stiffening rib 48with radial stiffening ribs 49 extending between the annular ribs 47 and48. The disk is provided with substantially radial slits 1, ashereinbefore described, said slits extending inwardly from the outerperiphery of the disk to the eccentric annular rib 48, whereby certainof the tongues are relatively short and thereby pitchec to high tones,While other tongues are Ielativelylong and thereby pitched tolower'tones The pitches of the short tongues may be relatively raised byreducing the thickness thereof, as i'or instance, in the zone bounded bythe arcuate line 50 and the adjacent edge of the disk said reducedportion being clearly shown at 51 in Fig. 12. While the central portion01' the disk is rendered rigid by the ribs, it is designed to furtherguard against vibrating the entire disk by vibrations ol' the longertongues, and this is accomplished by reducing the thickness of the innerend portions of the longer tongues, as shown at '52 in l ig. 12, in thezone bounded by the arcuate line 53 and the adjacent portion ol' theannular rib 48.

While the slits in the bell and disk lorins oi the invention may betruly radial, it is preferred to deflect the intermediate portionsthereof, as best indicated in Figs. 3 and 9, to vary the widths-oiintermediate portions of the tongue tor the purpose of giving eachtongue a predetermined pitch.

Having thus described re invention, What is claimed is:

l. A musical instrument comprising a bell having a series of straightand curved slits extendingfrom the crown plate to the lip thereof andsubdividing" the bell into sections proportioned to produce the tones ofthe diatonic scale.

2. A musical instrument comprisin a resonant element having a series ofcurved and straight lines extending to the edge thereof from pointsadjacent its center and subdividing said element into sectionsproportioned to produce tones pitched at diatonic intervals.

2;. A device or the class described comprising a resonant elementprovided with a series oi diverging slits intersecting its outer edgeand defining a series of vibratory sound in: elements. and a centralsupporting body therefor. the resonant elements having different musicalpitches,

in testimony that I claim the foregoing as in own, I have hereto allixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses EDXVARI) .T. ELSAS.

Witnesses .T. )L Manner, JAMES )Illlllfil'.

